carbon offsets
As early as 1978, Primus developed burners that reduced the need for wood for cooking in large parts of Africa. Since then, we have chosen to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from metal containers and gas by supporting new renewable energy projects certified according to the Gold Standard each year.
This year we are supporting a project in India called “India Organic Waste Biogas”. India has a rapidly growing economy but uneven development, where around 273 million Indians still live in poverty. Despite the WHO’s reports that about 93% of all Indians have access to water, fewer than 40% have access to sanitation, which causes a huge hygiene problem. In addition, many people in rural areas suffer from the harmful fertilisers that enter the water systems.
India Organic Waste Biogas is spread all over India, but the first small-scale project started in Kerala where 16,746 biogas units have been distributed on both a domestic and institutional level. Of these units, 11,668 replace firewood, 75 electricity and 5003 replace the need for other fossil fuels. Unlike other biogas chambers, these units use organic food waste instead of cow manure to produce biogas, making them suitable for both rural and urban areas. With access to organic food waste, this process is self-sufficient and the gas can be used for cooking, heat and to generate electricity in places the grid does not reach.
Read more here (pdf)